Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Lowers Stock Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lowered its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 88,894 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 1,074 shares during the quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC owned about 0.44% of Murphy USA worth $44,603,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 186.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 348.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc boosted its holdings in Murphy USA by 942.9% in the 3rd quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 146 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.81% of the company's stock.

Murphy USA Price Performance

Shares of Murphy USA stock traded down $6.77 during trading on Friday, hitting $475.85. 199,281 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 143,870. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19. Murphy USA Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $350.55 and a fifty-two week high of $561.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.63 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $521.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $505.13.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.64 by $0.56. The company had revenue of $5.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 62.73% and a net margin of 2.48%. Murphy USA's revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.69 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 23.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This is an increase from Murphy USA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. Murphy USA's payout ratio is 7.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $509.40.

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands, as well as operates non-fuel convenience stores. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.